| Unleash Prosperity Hotline Issue #6 1. The biggest decision of Trump’s life President Trump announced yesterday that his new economic panel, expected to include Kudlow, Mnuchin, Kevin Hassett, one or more governors, and key industry leaders, will be called the “Opening Our Country Council” and its members will be announced on Tuesday. One of the fake newsers immediately asked whether any efforts to loosen lockdown orders would result in death. The president acknowledged the challenge: “Staying at home leads to death also. And it’s very traumatic for this country. Staying at home, if you look at numbers, that leads to a different kind of death, perhaps, but it leads to death also. “I’m going to have to make a decision, and I only hope to God it’s the right decision. But I would say, without question, it’s the biggest decision that I’ve ever had to make.” https://sports.yahoo.com/on-post-covid-19-reopening-trump-weighs-biggest-decision-of-my-life-205828933.html But will Texas move first? Around the same time Trump was speaking in Washington, Texas Governor Greg Abbott had this to say in Austin: “We will focus on protecting lives while restoring livelihoods. We can and we must do this. We can do both: expand and restore the livelihoods that Texans want to have by helping them return to work.” Abbott promised an executive order next week that would lay out specific standards for the state to reopen. https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article241914131.html 2. Are we past the peak? The latest evidence New York may be past peak hospital utilization is that ICU numbers turned net negative on Thursday according to Governor Cuomo’s briefing.  And at what could be the peak, the Javits Center had just 255 patients and the USN Comfort 64 as of Friday morning.https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/s/h2ul8/javits-comfort-are-only-treating-hundreds-patients-officials In Seattle, the emergency army field hospital set up at CenturyLink Field closed after 9 days. It never had a single patient: https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-state-to-return-centurylink-field-hospital-to-feds We keep beating the models. 3. THANK YOU to the companies and workers supplying us in lockdown All of us are grateful to the front-line health care responders pitching in to treat virus cases. But other people are accomplishing incredible feats of organization and logistics in keeping the rest of us supplied at home. In the last five days, Walmart has sold enough toilet paper to give every American one roll – a total of 329 million rolls, and much of it delivered to people’s doorsteps. Walmart hired 150,000 new hourly workers to keep up with demand. Amazon is no different. It’s hired 100,000 new workers at its distribution centers, increased worker pay by $2 an hour and doubled overtime pay. Every employee undergoes temperature checks and is provided with protective gear. Of course, none of the products we order on the Internet would get to us without the delivery people who cope with an avalanche of packages. Some people we know show their appreciation for their efforts by leaving hand sanitizer packets or snacks for them on their front step. We couldn’t get through this crisis without the efforts of a lot of regular workers we’ll never meet. https://nypost.com/2020/04/10/walmart-sells-329-million-rolls-of-toilet-paper-in-five-days/ 4. Say goodbye to China? Larry Kudlow floated the idea of 100 percent expensing — with the pitch that it would include costs associated with relocating production out of China: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-09/kudlow-says-u-s-should-allow-firms-100-immediate-expensing And Japan is dedicating $2.2 billion to directly subsidizing China exits: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-08/japan-to-fund-firms-to-shift-production-out-of-china 5. Quote of the Day: “Imagine a problem that can be solved by holding your head underwater but stops being solved when you lift your head out. This is no solution. ….Yet it’s amazing how much congratulatory press coverage of the lockdowns doesn’t acknowledge this obvious Catch-22. By now even the most tunnel-visioned epidemiologist must admit the lockdown cure will soon be worse than the disease, imposing social destruction beyond imagining.” Wall Street Journal columnist Holman Jenkins, April 11 https://www.wsj.com/articles/your-coronavirus-crib-sheet-11586536835 6. Anti-Hero of the Day: Grandstanding AG (Aspiring Governor) Everyone in Washington state believes Attorney General Bob Ferguson is running for governor someday. But this year he’s up for re-election. In an e-mail to supporters, Ferguson warned that Trump could attempt to “delay or cancel” the November election. The e-mail’s subject line: “We cannot let Trump postpone the November election.”Several editorial boards and talk radio hosts have blasted Ferguson’s tactics as a scam to raise money from gullible donors. 7. MLB’s new plan: Mixed AL/NL leagues in Florida and Arizona All games would be played without fans and there would be a universal DH. Here are the divisions being considered: GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE (FLORIDA) NORTH: New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates. SOUTH: Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles. EAST: Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins. CACTUS LEAGUE (ARIZONA) NORTHEAST: Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics. WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels. NORTHWEST: Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/04/10/mlb-realignment-league-considers-radical-move-for-2020-season/5128935002/ Have a very Happy Easter and we’ll be back Monday!  |
| H/T Mark Skousen for cartoon submission. |
